dear music lovers (and i guess if your weird and don't like music you can
read this as well, i have successfully survived another week. which in all
honesty is surprising. you see earlier this week people started to forecast
that it might actually snow! and of course since the english aren't actually
used to snow (even though it apparently snows every year
here) most people i talked to basically associated the snow with the
imminent end of all existence. it started snowing saturday night and of
course i was ecstatic, (because i actually like snow), so i ran around a
bunch, ate some snowflakes as they were falling, and tried makeshift ice
skating on about a quarter inch of snow. . . . the last activity didn't work
out so well. i woke up sunday morning and after about an hour and a half we
got a call from our ward mission leader explaining that due to the heavy
snow fall of the previous night church would be cancelled, because it would
be much too dangerous for people to try and get to church in this adverse
weather. i was shocked, i mean i knew it was snowing last night but it
didn't seem like it was coming down hard enough to actually cancel
something. so i looked out the window expecting. . . . well something more
than two inches. and what did i see. about two inches. apparently people
are a little less used to snow here in england. . . in other news we had a
great week this week.
we taught kerry again and she fasted yesterday even though we didn't have a
meeting (she is so golden) and we were able to meet with the whites again
earlier this week. they're family has been through so much hardship and so
many trials but these experiences have humbled them and i really feel like
they have a sincere desire to change and come more unto the source of all
happiness (that statement is scripturally based btw). and it just so happens
that as missionaries, our entire purpose is to help them do just that! it's
actually quite interesting because we talked to bobby about his newfound
interest in religion and he described a problem that he had been having
recently.
he knew that god was there and he wanted to join his church, he even want to
be baptised. but there are just so many different churches out there, and
they all teach pretty similar doctrines but they still contend on some
points. he would join he just wants to know which of all the churches is
true. sound at all familiar? we're excited to help him along this path and
follow in the footsteps of all those people(and this includes me and
probably most people who are reading this right now) who had to find out the
truth for themselves at one point.
i've learned a lot lately in my studies about love, or charity if you will.
the more i learn about charity and the more i read the scriptures the more
i'm convinced that this might be the reason we're here. to develop charity.
(moroni 7:46-47 and matthew 22:37-40) when it comes down to it, we're here
to overcome our pride and develop love.
side note(studying pride and humility for some reason always ends up being a
humbling experience). elder day showed me a quote that said that anytime we
keep a commandment it is an act of love, and anytime we sin, it is an act of
pride. in his conference address "beware of pride" president benson taught
that "The central feature of pride is enmity-enmity toward God and enmity
toward our fellowmen. Enmity means "hatred toward, hostility to, or a state
of opposition." It is the power by which Satan wishes to reign over us." a
blessing i have received from being on a mission is that i have been able to
recognize just how much i rely on the lord for everything i do and
everything that has been given me. i've been given the opportunity to take a
step back and think "am i human or am i a bit denser" (yes that's incredibly
cheesy and a misquote of the killers but i can't be bothered, it may of
gotten the point across) i learn more and more each day about just how far i
am from where i need to be, and i am so grateful that i've been given this
recognition because that leaves me room to improve and through the atonement
i've been given the ability to improve. and since i've entered the mission
field, i've been given the even greater opportunity to see the atonement
working in the lives of others and witness the most amazing miracle that can
occur which is conversion. i love this work and i love it here!
with love
Elder Michael Jarman
ps.for whom it may concern i <3 zauzu
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